AFTER MY LAST POST ON THE INCREDIBLE JULIA CHILD I THOUGHT I’D SHARE A FAVOURITE RECIPE OF MINE; POULET AUX QUARANTE GOUSSES D’AIL, or CHICKEN WITH FORTY CLOVES OF GARLIC.

The first time I had this dish must have been when I lived in France for some time and God it was incredible. Both the dish and my time there, that is. The amount of garlic might sound a bit heavy but since they’re roasted, or cooked rather, together with the chicken, wine, herbs and vegetables in the oven they get this nutty sweet and really mild taste which complements the chicken and creates a beautiful base for the sauce. After having tried my way forward with different recipes and my own inventions I think this is as good as it gets.

I decided to illustrate the recipe with a fair amount of pictures and I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible. So here we go, and bonne chance!

Chop the carrot and celery stalk roughly. Peel and cut the onion in four wedges. Put aside the carrot, onion and half of the celery for the moment.

Fill the chicken cavity with half the chopped celery (the bit with the leaves), the rosemary, half of the thyme, half of the parsley and six of the garlic cloves. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under so they don’t burn.

Now brush the chicken all over with a royal splash of olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. I personally prefer a combination of black and white pepper.

Scatter the base of a large casserole dish with twelve garlic cloves together with the remaining sprigs of herbs, the chopped carrot, chopped celery and the onion wedges.

Put the chicken on top of the herbs and vegetables. Throw the remaining cloves of garlic around the chicken. Finally add a tablespoon olive oil and the white wine. Cover with a heavy lid and bake in the oven for 80 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear when you pierce a thigh with a thin skewer.

When the chicken is ready, lift it out of the casserole dish and put it aside. Keep the chicken warm on a plate by covering it with aluminium foil.

Strain the juices from the casserole dish into a saucepan, pressing the last bit of goodiness out of the vegetables with a spoon. Pick the garlic cloves out of the sieve with a tong and put aside for later. Spoon off the fat from the juices and discard the fat. Boil the juices for five minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Add the cream, season and taste the sauce. Boil for two more minutes.

If you want a slightly thicker sauce, make a roux using one tablespoon white flour and almost equal amount soft butter. You need just slightly less butter than flour. Stir until you get a smooth paste.Add a third of the roux to the sauce and bring to the boil slowly, whisking carefully all the time. If you find it doesn’t thicken enough add another third of the roux. Repeat the process until you’re satisfied with the thickness of the sauce.

Uncover the chicken and cut it into serving portions. You can either serve it on plates directly or on a large serving dish. Either way, drizzle a little of the sauce over the chicken and scatter the garlic cloves, still in their peel, around the chicken. Garnish with sprigs of herbs.